Red Moon
by sayuki-hime
Summary: Perhaps Fate is playing a cruel game with them both. anime filler character, shounenai


It rained again that night.

Ichinose Maki's straw sandles splashed in the shallow puddles of rainwater, soaking his socks and hakama. The heavy rain had stopped, just a few minutes ago, but the smell of it was still strong and thick in the air. The shinigami drew his hood tighter around his face. With a gentle push, he jumped and leapt onto the roof of a nearby house.

The sky had cleared, revealing the moon in the sky, shining red. The colour of passion. _The colour of blood_, Ichinose thought, continuing on his night walk. The tiles on the rooftops rattled, slightly, softly, and Ichinose paused. He detected a reiatsu, his hand automatically straying to the hilt of his katana.

He took one step, then agnother, slowly, stealthily. A figure, seated on the rook in front of him. The reiatsu was familiar; they had faced off before. Ichinose recalled that encounter vividly, and something tugged at his mind and heart. He let his hand fall to his side. There was something about this particular person that intrigued him, but it did not scare him - not in the least. Ichinose Maki was far from being scared by... By _this_ person.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." The orange-haired youth turned, shock turning to a frown on his face as he recognised Ichinose. "I thought it was you."

Ichigo scrambled to his feet, embarrassed at being caught napping on the roof of his own home. He reached into his back pocket, searching for his substitute shinigami pass. Ichinose held forth his empty hands, in a rare show of peace, extending them towards Ichigo.

"I do not wish to fight you today, shinigami substitute," he said, lowering his hands. "Please. Sit with me."

The younger shinigami eyed him warily. "I don't trust you."

"I know you don't." Ichinose settled himself down on the rook of the Kurosaki Family Clinic, taking his gaze off ichigo to consider the moon.

"what do you want here?" Ichigo demanded, seating himself some distance from the former Eleventh Division shinigami. "If you're not here for a fight, then why are you here?" Ichinose didn't answer him, instead choosing to let the young shinigami fume.

"Bastard."

Still, Ichinose ignored Ichigo, and silence fell over the two. Ichigo sighed in frustration, then turned to face the moon that Ichinose kept his eyes keenly on.

"There will be no bloodshed tonight, Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichinose finally said, breaking the silence. "The previous fights have already painted the moon red. A regrettable sight."

"What the - "

"Something about you caught my attention," he admitted, turning to look at Ichigo. "Something I could not completely comprehend, for our encounter ended far too soon."

Ichigo shrugged. "Of course. You know I'll defeat you."

_Not in that way_, Ichinose thought. "Do you hate me that much?" The question caught Ichigo off guard. "Do you hate me so much that you would kill me?"

"What's that supposed to mean," Ichigo mutered, leaning back onto the roof. He had not realised it before, but somehow, without his noticing, the physical gap between the two shinigami was growing smaller. "Don't tell me you forgot, but we're supposed to be enemies here."

"And after tonight, we'll go back to being enemies," Ichinose promised quietly. "But for now, let us put aside our differences. I was to know what is it that draws me to you."

"Say what!" Ichigo sputtered. "There's no attraction or whatever between us!"

"But there is," Ichinose pressed, pushing his hood back and moving closer to Ichigo, "and you know it. You feel it too."

There was something strangely... Beautiful, Ichigo decided, about Ichinose Maki's face. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, but the former Eleventh Division shinigami was right - he felt it too. He had just always pushed it away, refused to admit it.

"What do you want?" Ichigo asked, hesitantly.

"Not what I was, but what you want." Ichinose never took his gaze off Ichigo, and the youth was beginning to feel slightly light-headed.

As if under a spell, Ichigo moved nearer to Ichinose, then leaned forward and kissed him. Before he could fully comprehend his actions, he found Ichinose kissing him back, a contented sigh escaping his lips. Ichinose broke the kiss, resting his head against Ichigo's chest, the younger shinigami stroking his hair - almost lovingly. A small smile flickered across Ichinose's face, and he settled himself more comfortably against Ichigo.

"I never wanted to fight you, Ichigo. Not for one second from the moment I first saw you." Ichinose sighed, somewhat sadly. "If we had met under different circumstances, things would be very, very different." Ichigo did not say anything, so Ichinose took it as a sign to continue. "But I owe Kariya too much, way too much."

"We'll still have to fight each other tomorrow," Ichigo gently reminded him, his signature frown never leaving his face.

"Indeed, regrettably."

They sat together, seeking comfort in each other's voice and touch until the sun rose and Ichigo dozed off. Ichinose stood, straightening his clothes.

Tomorrow had come. _Tomorrow had come too soon._

Ichinose gave Ichigo a final glance, then left the boy to snooze on the roof of his home.


End file.
